Legal sports betting in New Mexico will take a bit of research on the bettor’s side. Betting on favorite teams and popular sporting events is a time-honored pastime, but it is hardly without its political and cultural baggage; states have had to jump through hoops to make legal sports betting a reality. Unfortunately for New Mexico gamers, this is very much the case in the Land of Enchantment. Sports betting in New Mexico is not condoned by the state, and in fact, New Mexico sports betting opportunities are next to impossible to find, at least through licensed and legitimate avenues. Does this mean, however, that New Mexico gamers are without options for placing wagers on their favorite sporting events—safe from any legal consequences? By no means!

This page will seek to show gamers some ways in which they can maneuver legal online sports betting in New Mexico. The page is designed as an educational resource, and as such, it begins with a few basic comments about New Mexico’s gambling laws. From there, we will turn our attention to some legal ways to gamble online, including reviews of three highly recommended online New Mexico sportsbooks.

Is it Legal to Bet on Sports in New Mexico?

To begin with, we must address the question of legality, as it pertains to sports betting in New Mexico. It is important for New Mexico gamers to understand that local regulations have criminalized sports betting, and that there are potential legal complications that can come from seeking to place bets with local, street-level New Mexico bookmakers. Since the Court ruling on PASPA, the state has not announced any plans to change these prohibitive laws. With all of that said, though, gamblers may find it a bit surprising to note that opportunities for legal sports betting do exist.

The secret is in recognizing that, while New Mexico does not itself offer any licensed bookmakers, there are plenty of legal sportsbooks that operate—fully licensed—in offshore locations, providing online wagering opportunities to U.S. citizens. And yes, this means that these online sportsbooks will prove more than willing to embrace New Mexico gamers. Rather than taking a risk on an unlicensed, street-level bookie, then, New Mexico players are encouraged to learn a bit more about the reputable offshore bookmakers that are out there.

The question many New Mexico gamers want to ask, though, is this: Will they find themselves in trouble if they place bets on sporting events, online? The short answer to this question is no, if they place their bets through the licensed, trustworthy bookmakers whose operations are based offshore.

Here it is important to note that New Mexico’s laws target those who run online sportsbooks, not players themselves. So, a player may get mixed up in legal entanglements by playing with a street-level bookie. Placing bets through an offshore bookmaker, however, is above-board and totally safe.

Where Can New Mexico Residents Bet Sports Online?

The long and short of it, then, is that if you live in New Mexico and you wish to bet on sporting events, what you need to do is to find a solid, reputable online bookmaker. We have done the legwork for you and rounded up three online sportsbooks that are trustworthy and reliable. These represent safe options for New Mexico gambling enthusiasts. Read on for our quick synopses on these three excellent online sportsbooks.

The first one we will address is Bovada Sportsbook—widely heralded as the top online sportsbook. Why does Bovada remain such an enduring favorite—popular among New Mexico gamblers, in particular? There are several reasons, but one of them is trust. This sportsbook has been in the industry for well over a decade, accepting residents from New Mexico and all over the USA. The deposits are reliable and the sportsbook payouts are extremely fast.

Bovada Sportsbook is trustworthy, then—but it is also, quite simply, a great place to play. It offers New Mexico gamers a chance to bet on all of their favorite sporting events, which include most any sports that are popular in the U.S.—football, basketball, baseball, and hockey; college sports and professional leagues. This online sportsbook also allows for many ways to play, ranging from mobile betting to in-play betting. The bottom line for New Mexico gamers is that Bovada is an online sportsbook well worth investigating.

Next, we come to BetOnline Sportsbook, which has been a leading name in the gambling world ever since 1991. BetOnline Sportsbook is popular among New Mexico gamblers because it provides an immersive online gambling experience. This includes large bonuses and fast cashouts.

It is also a sportsbook that seeks to make the gambling experience enriching and fun. For an example, look no further than the Stats Center. Here, members can obtain picks, tips, match stats, and more. It’s one reason among many why many New Mexico gamblers flock to BetOnline Sportsbook.

More than anything else, though, this sportsbook is popular because of its huge bonuses. You can receive up to $1,000 when you make your initial deposit and use code BOL1000. There are also free bet offers for mobile wagering, live betting, and more. For New Mexico gamblers, this is an online sportsbook that is just too good to ignore!

The third and final online sportsbook on our list is 5Dimes Sportsbook. Like the other entries on this list, this is an online gambling site that will prove warmly welcoming to any and all New Mexico gamers. Additionally, it is reputable and above-board. 5Dimes Sportsbook is run by the illustrious 5Dimes Group; it is operated on a license from Costa Rica. For New Mexico residents who want to gamble online, safely and securely, 5Dimes is a great choice.

Here players can bet on all of their favorite sporting events—and they can bet in many different ways. Parlays, monsters, teasers, and spreads are all acceptable. The sportsbook offers plenty of terrific promotional offers, to boot. 5Dimes is perhaps most well-known for their Reduced Juice Reward, which gives you the best possible value on betting odds. New Mexico residents who want to bet on sporting events do well to look seriously into 5Dimes!

Online sports betting in New Mexico is the only way you can bet on sporting events without having to travel outside of the state. Fortunately, you have plenty of options available to you when it comes to choosing an online sports betting site. One of the absolute best of those websites happens to be the UK-based sportsbook, Bookmaker. This site has been operating since 1998, providing US bettors from New Mexico with an incredible betting interface that can be accessed anywhere there’s an internet connection.

This book has more lines on more events than you could dream of. Forget just betting on local events. You’ll be able to bet on events all over the world. When you first sign up for an account with Bookmaker.eu, you can earn up to $1,000 in welcome bonuses. If you make a deposit of $300 or more in a single transaction, you will automatically be entered into their loyalty rewards program, so you basically get paid to play. Points are earned for every wager laid. Points can be redeemed for cash and other prizes, as well as collected to move up in priority. Bookmaker.eu is the best place for New Mexico sports betting enthusiasts.

Now that we have looked at those three reputable sportsbooks, we might return to the broader topic of New Mexico gambling laws. New Mexico is one of the few states that does have laws that specifically address sports betting. NM Stat § 30-19-15 notes that knowingly accepting a reward or anything of value to be delivered for gambling on a sporting event, race, or contest is illegal. This law could be interpreted to apply only to illegal local bookmakers, but it could also mean that sports betting is unlawful altogether. We are not lawyers and do not encourage criminal activity, but we can note that a casual sports bettor has never been penalized for using an offshore site to place wagers. You can read more about the general gambling laws in New Mexico on the Gaming Control Board website.

Since New Mexico does not recognize legal sports betting, it stands to reason that the state does not regulate or supervise these bets, either. For some New Mexico gamers, this comes as a bit of a letdown; with no government oversight, are sports bets truly “safe” for New Mexico players? The answer, once more, is that safe sports wagers are those made through reputable and trusted offshore bookmakers—such as the ones cited on this page.

Current State Of Online Sports Betting In New Mexico

In the end, we must note that sports betting in New Mexico is not, strictly speaking, legal—and that if approachedv improperly, it can result in potential legal risks. The state can choose to legalize sports betting and launch legal New Mexico sports betting sites, but so far there are no talks of this happening in the near future.

Does this mean that New Mexico gamblers are without any options for betting on sports? Not at all! There are plenty of ways to play, safely and securely, by going through trustworthy and transparent online betting sites. New Mexico gamblers are encouraged to pursue this pastime through one of any number of above-board online bookmakers.

New Mexico Online Sportsbooks FAQ’s

Does The Wire Act Make Sports Betting Illegal?

The Wire Act does not make sports betting illegal. Rather, this law prohibits a person from taking a bet over a wire of communication. By restricting the actions of the person taking the bet, this law stopped bets from crossing state lines, limiting sports betting to in-person transactions. So, someone in Nevada wouldn’t be able to take a bet from someone in New Mexico. This law relates only to US sports betting operations. The Wire Act does not and cannot prohibit the use of online, offshore sportsbooks.

What Does PASPA Stand For?

PASPA stands for the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a federal law that was overturned in 2018. Also known as the Bradley Act, this law prevented states from being able to regulate sports betting operations. Four states were exempt from it, grandfathered into the law because they had passed sports betting regulations prior to the signing of PASPA. These states were Delaware, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. Only Nevada could legally offer single-game wagering, though. This law no longer prevents New Mexico legislators from regulating sports betting, it does not prevent New Mexico residents from placing bets at sportsbooks that are regulated by another country.

What The Best Way To Fund My Sportsbook Account?

When you live in New Mexico, you may occasionally be faced with a declined payment when trying to fund your sports betting account with a credit card or wire transfer. This is because of the federal banking regulation UIGEA. This regulation allows banks to decline payments made to online gambling sites. Their ability to do this is based on the findings of a now antiquated National Gambling Impact Study, which claimed that banks were having trouble processing these transactions. While that claim proved to be unsubstantiated, the UIGEA still gives banks the power to decline payments.

If this happens, there’s no need to panic. You’re not in trouble with the law, nor will you be. There’s a simple fix. You could use a prepaid card to fund your account instead of a credit/debit card. These payments don’t have to be processed through a bank, therefore there’s no chance of a declined deposit. You could also try your hand at a digital currency. Digital currencies have no ties to US financial institutions, rather they operate independently. So there’s no chance of a transaction not going through.

Why does New Mexico allow sports betting if there’s no law to legalize it?

New Mexico did not have to legalize sports betting in the legislature for the activity to be lawfully offered. This is thanks to the state’s specific tribal compacts with Indian casino operators. Because NM has no laws barring sports wagering specifically – and because NM also considers Class III gaming to comprise all forms of gambling not covered under the definitions of Class I or Class II gaming – the pastime was effectively legal as soon as PASPA was overturned. The first casino to offer sports wagering in NM was the Santa Ana Star just outside of Albuquerque.

Why can’t New Mexico casinos offer online sports betting?

New Mexico casino venues cannot currently offer online sports betting because online gambling is specifically barred by the state. Thus, even though the Pueblo of Santa Ana (Tamaya) are allowed to offer sports wagering, they must limit the activity to those patrons who are physically present on casino grounds. In order to have statewide domestic online sports wagering, a new law will have to be passed. All that said, NM residents can legally wager at offshore sports betting sites without any further action on the legislature’s part.

When will New Mexico legalize domestic online sports wagering?

New Mexico has no concrete timetable for legalizing domestic online sports betting. Currently, the only sports wagering law being considered in the state is HB 441, which seeks to prohibit the state lottery from offering a sports betting product. That said, it seems inevitable that New Mexico will legalize sports betting over the Internet in the future, as this is the only solid path the state has to gaining a revenue tax foothold on the pastime. Look for the state to start rolling out online sports betting sometime in 2020 or 2021.

Will New Mexico allow sports betting statewide?

Almost certainly. Whether this would require a reworking of existing tribal compacts is unknown, but it is definitely in NM’s interest to legalize sports wagering throughout the state at both land-based and Internet-based venues. For the individual New Mexico bettor, of course, this isn’t an imperative, as it’s already completely legal to wager on sports at overseas sports betting sites.